Natasha’s closes with tax problems

Natasha’s Market Cafe over the Harvest Moon in Floyd, just days after being served with an unpaid taxes warrant, shut down Wednesday.

Visitors Thursday found the door locked and a sign stating the restaurant was closed. A form from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said it has an application pending from a new owner.

Floyd Mayor Will Griffin said local government has had ongoing problems with restaurant owner Nathasha Shishkevish. The tax warrant became necessary, he added.

Floyd County General District Court records show legal action against owner Shishkevish for unpaid bills in 2012 and 2013.

According to the ABC Board’s web site, Artists Table LLC filed an application for a beer and wine on premises license on March 11. The application is pending and it can sometimes take weeks for the ABC board to act, depending on the outcome of investigations by agents.

The Virginia Secretary of State says Morgan Ohland of Spikenard Farms and Honeybee Sanctuary on Hideaway Lane in Floyd County, established Artists Table LLC on February 27.

Ohland, whose bio on the farm’s web site talks of a background in accounting and business management, came to Floyd County in 2007 and is active in alternative agriculture and advises small business owners. She says she started her first business — one that delivered helium balloon bouquets by “Gorilla messengers” — at age 11.

Griffin, an accountant, said Friday he knows Ohland and respects her abilities and business judgment.

It is not unusual for an ABC license application to take a lengthy time for for review and acceptance and the restaurant could stay closed during the upcoming and more lucrative Spring and Summer months. Bent Mountain Bistro at the top of Bent Mountain was on the verge of shutting down because of ongoing problems obtaining an ABC license for the Roanoke County restaurant. The license was eventually granted.

Ohland’s decision to establish an LLC with partners is the latest effort of locals banding together to try and save a business in Floyd. A group of both family and friends last year saved Republic of Floyd after owner Tom Ryan died suddenly and unexpectedly. Another group stepped in to keep Dogtown Roadhouse open after a history of tax problems and bouts with the Virginia ABC Board forced the original owners to pull out.